[Adapted from the LSA course guide 2019]
CLIMATE 171 - Introduction to Global Change: The Science Behind Sustainability
Every day, human and natural activities are altering the planet on which we live. Through our increasing resource consumption, population growth, disturbance of natural systems, and technological advancement, we have been changing the global climate and environment in a manner that is unique over Earth’s history. This course, Global Change — the Science of Sustainability investigates the causes and potential impacts of these changes using a combination of traditional lecture-based and modern web-based teaching methodologies.
EARTH 114 - Global Warming
Review of the science of global warming including global radiation balance, geochemistry of natural and anthropogenic greenhouse gases, climate feedbacks, and historical and geological records of climate change; summary of the impacts of climate change on natural and systems and society; and discussion of potential remediation methods and the politicization of global warming.
EARTH 144 - Climate Change in the Age of Humans
This first year seminar explores how climate change and humans have influenced each other through time. Focus is placed on understanding the fundamentals of Earth’s climate system and the role of humans in it. The course explores examples of human-climate interactions through a series of case studies, with a focus on the primary data.
[Adapted from the LSA course guide 2019]
ENVIRON 201- Ecological Issues
The environment is defined as the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism, and environmental science as the study of the environment and our proper place in it. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to matters concerning the allocation of natural resources and the quality of our environment.
ASTRO 255 - Earth and Space Sciences for Elementary School Educators
In the first third of the course, taught by professors from the Department of Astronomy, we provide historical perspectives on the discovery of the Earth’s position in the solar system and universe, and discuss the formation of the universe, its galaxies and stars, and the formation of stars and planets, focusing on the formation of the solar system. In the middle and final two thirds of the course, taught by professors from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, we then focus on the Earth as a dynamic planet by discussing plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes, the dynamics of the atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere, climate change, and the interaction between the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and solid Earth.
PUBPOL 250 - Social Systems, Energy and Public Policy
Our reliance on fossil fuels has led to declining supplies, rising prices, global climate change, and security concerns. The current global energy economy is not sustainable. The goal of this course is to provide a framework for interpreting public discourse on energy issues. How do energy technologies shape the choices people make as individuals, as members of groups, and as elements of society at large, and how do such choices affect energy technologies?
[Adapted from the LSA course guide 2019]
ENVIRON 306 - Global Water
Overpopulation, urbanization, pollution, food security, energy, corruption, technology, human rights, governance, and climate change, just to name a few issues, are all intimately connected to water availability. Upon completion of this course, students will better understand: water challenges and opportunities throughout the globe, how governments and non-government organizations function in water management, and the differences and similarities of water issues between developing and developed nations.
ENVIRON 308 - Sustainability and Health
What if we could create an environmentally sustainable future that is better equipped to support human health and well-being than our current lifestyle? Would people be more willing to participate and try out new ways of doing things? The purpose of this course is to explore this idea by considering how the environment influences our health and well-being. In order to tackle this complex topic we will begin by identifying the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of human health. We then explore how climate change could negatively impact human health and consider the ways in which our modern lifestyle makes it difficult for us achieve and maintain good health. Finally, we will think about how the shift to a more sustainable lifestyle could positively impact our health and well-being.
EARTH 333 - The Inexhaustible Seas? Marine Resources and Environmental Issues
This course explores the mineral, energy and food resources of the ocean and environmental impacts that arise from the exploitation of these resources. The focus is on offshore drilling for energy resources, exploitation of marine organisms, and pollution associated with human activity.
EARTH 380 - Natural Resources, Economics and the Environment
This course deals with mineral resource-related problems in a complex society. The course discusses the origin, distribution, and remaining supplies of mineral resources in terms of the economic, engineering, political, and environmental factors that govern their recovery, processing, and use.
More Information:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/adamsimon/teaching/
ENVIRON 320 - Environmental Journalism
The focus is on reporting and writing about the environment and public health. Students will learn how to digest and comprehend complex material, translating it in a way that is interesting and easy for the mainstream public to understand. Each week, the course focuses on a different topic in the news related to the environment and public health, such as urban sprawl, climate change, environmental justice, energy efficiency, garbage and cancer.
More Information:
http://graham.umich.edu/courses/environmental-journalism-reporting-about-science-policy-and-public-health
URP 357 - Architecture, Sustainability and the City: Ideas, Forces and People Shaping the Environment
The built environment accounts for approximately half our planet’s energy consumption and carbon footprint, and strongly impacts global climate change and resource depletion, both of which can be dramatically reduced by good design and planning that also improve the quality of life, health and community for humans and other species. The lectures, class discussions and readings will include a wide range of scales and topics, such as ecological footprints, passive solar design, social and economic justice, suburban sprawl, waste and water management, agriculture and food, cultural norms, alternative urbanisms, and energy- and environmentally-conscious buildings, cities and landscapes, as well as related regulations, policy and best practices.
[Adapted from the LSA course guide 2019]
ENVIRON 413 - Environmental Communication
Topics include media depictions of environmental issues, the role of the media in influencing public opinion and policy actions, expert environmental communication by scientists and policy-makers, and theories that guide effective strategic environmental communication. We will engage with many of the critical environmental issues of our day, including climate change, fracking, support for renewable energy initiatives, and many more.
ENVIRON 462 - Topics in Environmental Social Science
This course explores how our current legal system contributes to environmental problems and solutions. Through a series of case studies, we will first understand how the legal system builds on conceptions of individuality, property, sovereignty, and commodification to create environmental destruction and injustice. The case studies include the degradation of the Colorado River over the past century, the future of the Arctic region under climate change in the next century, and the present and ongoing taking of human life in the Flint water crisis. We will then explore alternative approaches to environmental law, including natural rights, community stewardship, and human rights protected under the Constitution.
RCNSCI 419 - Sustainable Energy Systems
Assessment of the current energy system that encompasses resource extraction, conversion processes and end-uses. Responses to current challenges such as declining fossil fuels and climate change are explored: unconventional fossil fuels, carbon sequestration, emerging technologies (e.g., renewable sources: biomass, wind, and photovoltaics; fuel cells) and end-use efficiency and conservation. Sustainability is examined by studying global and regional environmental impacts, economics, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and energy policy.
EAS 480 - Climate Change: The Move to Action (open to senior undergraduate students)
Climate Change: The Move to Action --- All sectors of society are affected by climate change: science, policy, business, economics, public health, energy, ecosystems, environmental engineering, journalism, religion, etc. This course explores the intersections of these communities and exposes students the factual and contextual elements that will allow effective participation in the adaptation to climate change.
More Information:
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/climate-480/home
[Adapted from the LSA course guide 2019]
PUBPOL 519 - Sustainable Energy Systems
Assessment of the current energy system that encompasses resource extraction, conversion processes and end-uses. Responses to current challenges such as declining fossil fuels and climate change are explored: unconventional fossil fuels, carbon sequestration, emerging technologies (e.g., renewable sources: biomass, wind, and photovoltaics; fuel cells) and end-use efficiency and conservation. Sustainability is examined by studying global and regional environmental impacts, economics, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and energy policy.
[Adapted from the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) website]
EAS 501.119 - Nature, Culture and Landscape
Environmental issues are becoming increasingly complex and addressing them requires bridging across the sciences, art and the humanities. We will examine how human attitudes, values, and behaviors shape the world we live in today, and the direction we have yet to go.
EAS 480 - Climate Change: The Move to Action
Climate Change: The Move to Action --- All sectors of society are affected by climate change: science, policy, business, economics, public health, energy, ecosystems, environmental engineering, journalism, religion, etc. This course explores the intersections of these communities and exposes students the factual and contextual elements that will allow effective participation in the adaptation to climate change.
More Information:
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/climate-480/home
CLIMATE 530 - Climate Change in Planning and Design
This course was designed for the Climate and Space (CLaSP) MEng in Applied Climate. The course is also designed to be accessible as an elective to those in other departments in the College of Engineering and across the University as a whole. The target is the professional who needs to incorporate climate knowledge in planning and design.
This seminar-reading-discussion course focuses on special topics on the use of climate-change data and knowledge in planning, design, engineering and management. Topics include, for example, uncertainty in the context of decision making, non-stationarity in design and engineering, and vulnerability and risk assessment.
More Information:
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/climate-530/
Apply winter of sophomore year.
If accepted, you will then be supported, challenged, and inspired by your peers and professors to determine how you want to incorporate sustainability into your lifestyle, campus, and community. You’ll participate in program courses and activities through-out your junior and senior years. The program engenders networking with others on and off campus and you will hone leadership, system-thinking, and problem-solving skills—all tools needed to be an active citizen in today’s transforming world. The Program provides unique opportunities to expand and explore your interests in sustainability while engaging in leadership training. You may choose to have the Undergraduate Sustainability Scholars Program appear on your transcript as a “supplemental studies notation” by completing 9 required credits.
In partnership with the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), The Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach presents the University of Michigan DAPCEP Spring Programs, a variety of engineering courses designed to challenge students from grades 7 through 9. Each course is sponsored and run by a different Michigan Engineering departmental team. The courses are designed to engage student creativity, sharpen students’ problem-solving skills, and make engineering relevant to everyday life through engineering design challenges and hands-on activities.
The Engaged Pedagogy Initiative is an intensive, semester long community-based learning (CBL) workshop for graduate students that allows them to explore the theoretical foundations and ethical implications of Community-Based Learning (CBL). Launched in 2014, EPI is a partnership between the LSA office of Community-Engaged Academic Learning (CEAL) and the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship that meets our respective missions by promoting excellence in undergraduate teaching and graduate student professional development.